Clifford T Ward

Clifford Thomas Ward (10 February 1944 – 18 December 2001) was an English singer-songwriter, best known for his career as a solo artist. His 1973 album, Home Thoughts, remains his best known recording, and he had hit singles with songs such as "Gaye" and "Scullery". His reluctance to tour in support of recorded work may have scuppered Ward's chances of more substantial mainstream success. Ward's manager in the early 1970s, Clive Selwood commented on Ward's lack of touring as contributing to his lack of success: "Clifford should have been a major, major star - he had hits, but he simply wouldn't perform publicly."

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Links To Peel

In an interview with Record Mirror, published on 7th July 1973, Clifford explained how his music got the attention of Peel:

"I didn't give up hope making it as a singer, far from it. In 1970 I got some songs together and sent a demo to John Peel. He played them to Clive Selwood and, hey presto, a record contract to record an album. Then Dandelion, the label John and Clive ran, folded and what, I wondered, did I do next? The album was half finished. Anyway Clive took it to Charisma and played it to Tony Stratton-Smith. He liked it and signed me up. And now you can buy my completed album called Home Thoughts."[1]

Clifford T. Ward - Gaye (1973)

Signing a new recording contract with Charisma Records, Ward went on to have a hit with the single "Gaye".It sold over a million copies worldwide and reached number 8 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1973.

In July 1973, following the success of "Gaye", Ward's second album Home Thoughts achieved healthy sales and reached number 40 in the UK Albums Chart. At this point, wanting to concentrate on music full-time, he gave up the teaching profession. He made a rare public appearance in July, performing "Gaye" on Top of the Pops. In January 1974 Ward entered the singles chart again at number 37 with "Scullery", a track from his third album Mantle Pieces.

Subsequent singles, notably "No More Rock 'n' Roll", "Jigsaw Girl", "Ocean of Love" and "I Got Lost Tonight" were loved by Peel's colleagues on BBC Radio but Ward never made it into the UK chart again. It was said that he would have had more commercial success were it not for his dislike of touring, public appearances, interviews and photo shoots.

In 2002, Samurai Seven did a cover of Clifford T. Ward's Wherewithal for their session on Peel's show.